This year, a project
volunteer reminded us of a longtime favorite interview—A Doctor’s Daughter, narrated by Alexandra Clarke Spann
(1903-1977). Published as a hardcover “red book” in 1985, the contents draw on
four separate interviews, telling the story of what it was like, growing up in
Greenwich in the early days of the twentieth century, the daughter of an
esteemed Greenwich physician.

There are many interesting
and colorful anecdotes presented in the interview but none so engaging as the World
War I story Ms. Spann narrates—and that retelling is the incident our volunteer
turned to. We went back to the book, and the following is what we found.

Well into the interview Alexandra
Clarke Spann is asked about “dramatic incidents” she remembers from her life.
She responds:

“Well I think the most dramatic
was during World War I. One of our favorite mail carriers was Johnny Lockhart,
whose brother was in a division in Europe that was almost completely annihilated.
Johnny got word that his brother had been killed. The town loved Johnny so
much, and they knew his brother, so they were planning a memorial service. I
was just big enough to carry a small flag over my shoulder in a flag drill,
which you don’t hear of anymore. They sang “America,” they prayed, they did all the loving things you’re
supposed to, and almost finished—when the doors on the colonnade to Havemeyer
School opened, and the captain stepped it.”

Interviewer: “The
captain?”

Spann: “He was a captain
in the regiment. Dead silence. You could feel it. It pressed on you. Then all
pandemonium let loose. People shouted, stamped, whistled, threw their hats
up in the air. Even the flags went up. It was absolutely the most
dramatic thing I think I ever lived through.”

Interviewer: “How did you
feel?”

Spann: “We all cried.”

Interviewer: “You cried?”

Spann: “Absolutely
unashamed, men and women both.”

Interviewer: “Did he know
that this was his funeral service?”

Spann: “No, he didn’t. Somebody
told him there was a meeting in the Havemeyer Building, to go see what was
going on. He just walked in cold.”

Havemyer Building

Interviewer: “That’s a
truly dramatic incident.”

Spann: “I think it’s the
most dramatic one in my whole life.”

Without further comment or
explanation, Ms. Spann goes on to tell about Boss Tweed’s property on Milbank
Avenue. But it’s the story of Captain Lockhart’s miraculous return to life that
lingers.

This long ago tale about a
beloved soldier brought back to a hometown in the midst of honoring him seems
worthy of remembering on this holiday meant for reflection.

The red book, A Doctor’s Daughter (1985), narrated by Alexandra Clarke Spann,
can be found in the circulating collection on the Oral History Project kiosk on
the first floor. Additionally, a copy of the interview can be found in the
OHP collection in the local history reference area on the first
floor. Library patrons may also read the interview at the OHP office on
the lower level of the library.